MONMOUTH, Ore. – Trailing by 15 entering the fourth quarter, the Saints needed a spark to overcome Sonoma State. Claire Dingus did just that. The junior went for 32 points, 10 rebounds, and five steals to power the Saints to a 68-63 comeback victory.
 
Sonoma State (0-3) led by as many as 22 in the second half, with the Saints' (3-0) offense struggling to find any flow. After scoring only 35 points through the first three quarters, the Saints ripped off 33 in the final frame, including finishing the game on a 27-6 run to maintain the perfect start to the 2021-22 season.
 
Saint Martin's started the first quarter sluggish, scoring only five points, and falling behind by 11 after the Seawolves ended the quarter on an 11-1 run.
 
Dingus led the Saints in the first half with nine points on 3-for-6 shooting, while the rest of the team combined for went for 4-for-21 and 10 points. Saint Martin's stared down a 20-point deficit at halftime.
 
The Saints began chipping away at the lead during the third quarter with a jumper by Dingus bringing SMU to within 15 heading into the final quarter.
 
In the opening four minutes of the fourth, the Saints had yet to make a dent into the lead, still trailing by 16. However, the momentum started to turn on after a 3-pointer from Tierney DeDonatis with 5:30 left on the clock.
 
Two 3-pointers from Maryn Budiman, and a pair of free throws, and a basket from Dingus had SMU within three with just two minutes left.
 
After a miss from SSU, Emily Nelson scored in the paint to bring the score to 61-60 with 1:16 left. On the following possession, Rian Clear came up with a steal in the backcourt, leading to an easy layup and the Saints' first lead of the ball game. Two more 3-pointers from Dingus sealed the comeback victory as the Saints rallied for 33 fourth quarter points.
 
The Saints next game is scheduled for tomorrow, November 20 at 12:00 PM against Chico State. Live stats and video will be available on smusaints.com.
 
A Look Into The Numbers:

• Dingus played a full 40 minutes, shooting 11-for-17 from the field
• DeDonatis finished with 12 points, 6 assists, and only 1 turnover
• Budiman came off the bench for 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• The Saints shot 12-for-20 in the fourth quarter, including 5 3-pointers
• SMU finished 25-for-60 (41.7 percent) from the field
• Saint Martin's outrebounded SSU 38-to-31